The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

He paused, and in the background a kettle whistled. "It wouldn't have been more than a week or so afterward that their house went up for sale. We did question them, by the way, before we got the coroner's report. They both had watertight alibis for the day of his death."

Of that I had no doubt. It was their son who wouldn't have, I bet.

So were they responsible for stopping Young's rampage before he could even fully begin it? Was he the reason behind their sudden decision to move? "Where exactly was Harvey's body found? We may need to go up there and have a look at the area."

"We didn't miss anything." His voice had sharpened slightly.

"I'm not saying you did, Mr. Mayberry. We just have new evidence about Young's disappearance, and it may help us understand it better if we see the area."

"Oh," he said, sounding mollified. "He was found in Historical Park, near where the gang used to meet. It was a clearing surrounded by granite outcrops and black cypress, which made it something of a natural amphitheater."

"You can't give me anything more direct than that?"

"Well, it was past the old powder magazine building, down near Spring Creek. You'll know it when you see it."

Great. We could be wandering around for hours. Which we didn't have. "There's nothing else you can tell us about the case? Any odd tidbit that might not have made the report but instinct said might be related?"

He hesitated. "Well, there were two kids I swear were witnesses - "

Witnesses. Puzzle pieces suddenly began clicking into place. "Not Jake Cowden and Ivan Lang?"

"The very ones. Like the wolf cubs, they tended to be loners, but they often used to sneak off and spy on the gangs. Cowden used to e-mail me photographs every now and again, which were often quite helpful when we were investigating minor incidents."

"Did he e-mail you anything about Young?"

"No, but he reported his camera missing the next day, and he was sporting quite a shiner. Ivan looked pretty messed up, too."

"But they never talked?"

"Refused to. Cowden started drinking not long after that, though."

"What about Cherry Barnes?"

He snorted. "That one was more trouble than she was worth."

"In what way?"

"She was Harvey's girlfriend, and a real tease. Harvey was always getting into fights because of her."

And she'd grown up to become a wannabe Trollop. Oddly appropriate. "Thanks for your help, Mr. Mayberry."

He grunted. "If you do find out what happened to Young, I'd appreciate a call."

"Will do, Mr. Mayberry." I hung up.

"Anything?" Rhoan asked.

"Maybe." I shoved my phone back into my pocket and repeated what Mayberry had told me. "I think it's highly likely Young will be going back to the scene of his death, rather than where he used to live."

"He'll probably think it'll be safer," Quinn commented. "After all, he knows the Directorate is onto him, and he also knows you can trace his home addresses. But finding the location of his death more than twenty years after the event is a different matter."

"I still don't understand why he's doing all this now," Rhoan said. "Why didn't he finish the lot of them when he finished off Harvey?"

"I suspect because his parents discovered what he was doing and stopped him. They had him locked up for years, remember."

"Being locked up in a room filled with silver wouldn't exactly enhance his sanity prospects, either," Quinn commented.

"No." I glanced at the clock again. "We need to be up there before dawn so we can have a chance of killing the bastard. How fast does this baby go?"